뉴스레터

Question

The Japanese government's guidelines announced in July 2008 emphasized the need for strengthening education regarding the issue of Dokdo, and many people are paying a keen attention to this year's review of Japanese history textbooks for middle school students. What are the current status and prospect of description of Dokdo in Japanese textbooks?

Answer

Japan's aim to strengthen Dokdo-related education

When Japan began strengthening territory education in 1990s, it focused on South Kuril Islands and did not pay much attention to Dokdo. However, the need for strengthening Dokdo-related education has been emphasized with revisions of basic education law (December 2006), guidelines for education in middle schools (March 2008), and guidelines for middle school textbooks (July 2008).

The review outcomes of elementary school text books, announced on March 30, 2010, clearly show us that such trend is being reflected in text books. Although there were no Dokdo-related content in the guidelines for education in elementary school students, Japanese government commented that some textbooks did not clearly mark national border around Dokdo. As a result, the textbooks passed the government's review only after Dokdo was described as part of Japan's territory.

Description of Dokdo in Japanese Middle School Textbooks

Japanese textbooks only deal with the issue of Dokdo in terms of territory, and not in terms of history. For example, high school history textbooks published by Meisei-sha and Shimzshoin describe the Dokdo dispute as a territorial issue that remains to be resolved in the future. This is in stark contrast of the fact that Korean history textbooks (ancient /modern & contemporary) pay great attention to Dokdo.

In middle schools, the Dokdo issue appears in geography and social studies textbooks only. Two geography textbooks and three social studies textbooks have paragraphs describing the issue of Dokdo, and six geography textbooks and four social studies textbooks just mark Dokdo as Japanese territory in maps. Although geography textbooks describe that Dokdo is Japanese territory, the focus is given to Exclusive Economic Zone, and there are no paragraphs claiming that Dokdo is Japan's "own land", and is "illegally occupied by Korea". However, social studies textbooks reflect the government's territory claim over Dokdo: Tokyo-Shoseki's textbooks says that Dokdo is "exclusive territory of Japan", and Fusosha's textbooks claim that Dokdo is "illegally occupied by Korea", and it is "exclusive territory of Japan in terms of both history and international law".

Prospect

Given that Japan has been strengthening education about Dokdo, it is likely that all geography textbooks will end up covering the issue of Dokdo from a perspective of territorial dispute. Moreover, there are concerns that more social studies textbooks will include expressions such as Dokdo is "exclusive territory of Japan" and is "illegally occupied by Korea". Furthermore, we cannot rule out the possibility that the issue of Dokdo will be covered in history textbooks. Meisei-sha's <Japanese History (B)> for high school students, which is influenced by Japanese Society for History Textbook Reform, describes that "Takeshima of Shimane Prefecture is illegally occupied by Korea".